Restasis commercial among most memorable ads of 2013

TV spot for Allergan’s eye drug among top 10 in Nielsen ratings

The commercial for Allergan's eye drug Restasis was among the top 10 most memorable new TV ads in the US in 2013.

In ninth place, Restasis (cyclosporine) was the only pharmaceutical brand in the Nielsen-compiled top 10, which included established consumer brands such as Wal-Mart, Volkswagen and Bud Lite.

Stating that the variety of ways in which the public consumes media is “exploding”, Nielsen said that it wanted to understand why “some ads captivate viewers while thousands of others are readily disregarded". The top 10 was compiled in order to gain insight into this.

Among the findings was that “enhancing the entertainment value of ads is a key way to boost memorability and branding”, global information and measurement company Nielsen said.

“Marketers can achieve this through any combination of: telling a story that viewers can relate to; creating a connection through humour or emotion; or incorporating attention-grabbing sights and sounds,” Nielsen said in a statement.

Created by Beacon Healthcare Communications, the Restasis campaign has been on TV, supported by print, digital, and collateral materials, since it launched in April 2013.

The TV commercial features a Restasis patient discussing the drug with her doctor after experiencing the effects of chronic dry eye in various social environments.

Notably, the commercial was the most memorable new TV spot among women aged 13 and over.

The commercial is part of the 'Your Eyes' campaign, which promotes Restasis as the only prescription medicine designed to help increase the eyes' natural ability to produce tears.

The drug is among eyecare specialist Allergan's biggest-selling products, with the company expecting revenues between $900m and $920m for 2013.

Speaking to PMLIVE, an Allergan spokesperson said: “The success of the campaign can primarily be attributed to the fact that the team took a deeper dive into the patient's journey and experience, bringing to life the moment when a patient realises she doesn't just have dry eyes, she has a disease called chronic dry eye.”